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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. content — the amount
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. mate — a friend
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. press — a publisher
  9. file — a line of people
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. pit — in a race
  12. press — newspapers
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. branch — a division
  16. craft — boats
  17. craft — a skill
  18. pit — a hole
  19. file — a tool
  20. kick — in football
  21. mate — to breed
  22. press — to push
  23. mate — a partner
  24. file — a document

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com